Happy May!!!

I love the month of May for so many reasons as numerous as May flowers: it is the month of honoring Mary, St. Joseph her husband, provider and guardian of the Holy Family, Dagny's birth, St. Joan of Arc, Mother's Day, Memorial Day, the Visitation in which Mary visits her elderly cousin Elizabeth, who is carrying St. John the Baptist in her womb, and who recognizing the Presence of His Savior, leaps for joy. I love this scene so much: 

Elizabeth says, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.” 

Mary responds with her Magnificat. My favorite rendition is Palestrina's sung by Voces8: https://youtu.be/j9naa5YvyDU This painting captures the joy so beautifully. If anyone knows who the artist is, please let me know so that I can try to get a copy of it. 

Vulgate

Book of Common Prayer (1662)

Magnificat anima mea Dominum; et exsultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutari meo, quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae; Ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes. quia fecit mihi magna, qui potens est, et sanctum nomen eius, Et misericordia eius a progenie in progenies timentibus eum. Fecit potentiam in brachio suo; dispersit superbos mente cordis sui; deposuit potentes de sede, et exaltavit humiles; esurientes implevit bonis et divites dimisit inanes. Suscepit Israel puerum suum, recordatus misericordiae suae, sicut locutus est ad patres nostros, Abraham et semini eius in saecula. The Gloria Patri is appended to the canticle but is not part of Luke's Gospel. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto, sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper: et in Saecula saeculorum. Amen.

My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded: the lowliness of his handmaiden: For behold, from henceforth: all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath magnified me: and holy is his Name. And his mercy is on them that fear him: throughout all generations. He hath shewed strength with his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seat: and hath exalted the humble and meek. He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich he hath sent empty away. He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel: As he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed for ever. The Gloria Patri is appended to the canticle, but is not part of Luke's Gospel. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.

An Excerpt of BOUND in Sword & Spade

It is always gratifying when someone you admire appreciates your work. So when Jason Craig, editor of Sword & Spade and author of Leaving Boyhood Behind: Reclaiming Catholic Brotherhood asked if he could publish an excerpt from BOUND, I was delighted to say yes. S&S is focused on issues that men and families face with ideas and solutions from a Catholic perspective. This issue of S&S was devoted to the historic decision of the US Supreme Court to reverse Roe v Wade--to give thanks to God and to remember that we still have to fight at the state level for the most vulnerable in our society. The date of this reversal was profound for Catholics because it was the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Font of Love) and the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, who leaped with joy in his mother's womb at the sound of Mary's greeting. Such a beautiful sign from God to bring us hope. Life is winning!

But the story that touched my heart the most was from Jason himself, "Thank you for not killing me," words spoken by his 13-year-old niece at her mother's (his sister's) wedding. Not every child is born in ideal circumstances, but they treasure their life. I've seen my share of bedraggled children in India and not one of them wanted to die. Ever. They begged for food or money. They wanted to live. Yet we would think them better off dead. Jason's essay recounts his shock at learning that his pro-life mother made an appointment at a Planned Parenthood clinic to discuss what their "choices" might be.  

The excerpt he chose to publish was the chapter when Rebecca takes Joy to an abortion clinic. If you read closely, you will see how language is used to hide the truth of what is actually happening. I am so proud to be in the pages of Sword & Spade. 

March for Life Pictures

My kids sent me some pictures from their trip to WA DC to March for Life. It just keeps growing. As our pastor says, "simple truths prevail." I know our laws will change when our hearts change, when we recognize that every life is worth living. This was Max's third year so he knew a lot of people at the March. And I was pleased to hear he ran into Dagny and her friends too.   

 

I love that the kids sent me pictures of the beautiful churches where they heard Mass. They were packed. Max has spent two summers interning in DC and he said it's not the case on a regular basis. He told us about a very interesting observation from one of the priests at Mass, that before every great miracle, there's been a terrible killing of innocents, especially children to prevent it from happening. Think of Moses, how he was saved, because Pharoah was killing Jewish children. When Jesus was born and the Wise Men came looking, Herod decided to murder the Holy Innocents. Until Our Lady of Tepeyac made an appearance in Mexico, child sacrifice was common. But nowhere in history have we seen the massacre of children until our recent times--1 billion worldwide and counting (that's more than 1/10). And it's been the bloodiest century as well. Is there a great miracle about to happen? What's the devil afraid of? I should ask, Whose presence does he fear? Come, Lord Jesus. 
     

A Day of Prayer and Penance

Today, the anniversary of Roe v Wade, is a day of prayer and penance to end abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia.   

I am so grateful to all who are fighting the lie that children are a barrier to women, who are braving the cold and the crowds to march for life. 

O Mary, Virgin and Mother, pray for us. 

I loved this verse from today's psalm: Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war.   

My First National Right to Life Convention

Wow!!! It was amazing and I feel so blessed that the National Right to Life convention came to Charleston, that Michael and I could attend and learn to fight the good fight from seasoned veterans, some who've been at this for nearly 50 years. There were so many practical suggestions on speaking the truth in love, being salt and light, being a voice for those who have none, and so many personal stories. What is clear is that abortion is going to take center stage in the 2020 election. Already some states are passing laws to restrict abortion. Only 13% of Americans want unrestricted abortion through all nine months of pregnancy, yet many states, like VA, OH, and others are following a NY-style abortion proposal. The time has come to return the legal protection babies in the womb enjoyed before Roe v Wade.   There were many young people there as well--our future! The first right is the right to life, without which all other rights--for education, for health, for religious freedom--are moot. Here are some of the highlights.

The convention opened with Viable, a one-act play written by John Hoover. In this story, Judy meets her own daughter whom she aborted 30 years ago. We see and hear the unintended consequences of Judy's secret abortion--the sorrow, the rage, the despair (Judy's performance was electric!)--all because she believed the lies that were fed to her. But there is healing in Christ and Judy, restored, is able to take the message of His love to her husband and her second daughter, living, who is pregnant and considering an abortion. Watching this play made me realize how much I want Bound to be a movie, so that it can reach more people. I'd best start small, like writing a short play. The link for Viable has all the information if you want to bring it to your school or church. Please spread the word. It is beautiful.  

Michael and I both like numbers and data, but there was so much, we decided to get the book. One of the authors is  a physicist who's been collecting abortion data in his spare time for the past few decades and archiving his findings here. What a labor of love, of remembering. Abortion Worldwide Report: 1 Century, 100 Nations, 1 Billion Babies is a book for people who are interested in some hard data, in history and ethics, and in the nature of law and its purpose in protecting human life. From 1803-1919, every nation with a known policy prohibited abortion (see the map that's mostly blue). A hundred years later, abortion is legal almost everywhere (see colorful map below) leading to the deaths of a billion babies. It's clear we need to stop the slaughter of the innocents.   

 

Dagny was stunned when I told her about abortion survivors. She asked, "Is it even possible?" and the answer is yes. Melissa Ohden is one remarkable survivor who was born alive after her mother had a saline abortion. Her birth records indicate that she had an Apgar score of 6, not bad for a baby floating in a toxic saline solution for five days. After five minutes, though her score plummeted to a 2. She was nearly dead. She might've perished had not a nurse taken care of resuscitating her. She is an advocate for babies in the womb and for those born alive and in danger of neglect. Her story is so inspiring as is the testimony of others, like Gianna Jessen, who've survived. Many have been adopted into loving homes. I loved what Joleigh Little had to say about "unwanted children." That they simply haven't found their family yet. Adoption is a wonderful alternative to abortion. Many couples are on waiting lists for babies. But if you are being called to adopt, don't forget the older children and those with special needs. They often languish. One of Michael's colleagues went through the foster care system; she's made it her life's work to adopt several of the "hard-to-adopt" children. God bless her.    

Although abortion is the biggest killer, there were sessions on euthanasia as well. It was heartbreaking to hear of veterans and people suffering from cancer and other chronic ailments denied treatment but offered pills to commit suicide. This is a direct result of the abortion culture. Once killing is accepted as an answer to human suffering, then there's no stopping. And the medical industry can kill people without judicial review. The NRTL recommend you prepare a Will to Live.

There was so much more, but let me end with a story about Ashley Bratcher, the actress who plays Abby Johnson in Unplanned. Ashley had never heard of Abby but someone on social media told Ashley to audition for the part and only after that someone followed up with her, did she audition. We know Ashley got the part :) She was moved by the full script and read everything she could about Abby. Only Ashley's husband, son, and sister knew why she'd flown out to OK (for filming). So when her mother called, Abby told her what the movie was about and wanted to make sure her mom knew she wasn't judging her for having an abortion in high school. "There is hope and redemption," she said. Her mom wept. And then confessed that at 19, she went to a clinic to get an abortion, but she walked out. "I chose you." Talk about a Jeremiah moment. I love how wonderfully creative God is in writing our stories!!! God bless you all.  

 

Blessings, Blessings, All Around

 

It's been a strange and difficult couple of weeks with medical problems but even so, blessings abound. Look at all these beauties! The flowers cheered me up immensely as did the books and bounty from the garden. I missed the July 4th celebrations at the park but loved the impressive lightning storm from the porch. I was able to attend the National Right to Life Convention with my sweetie, a former fetus! We learned so much and will share some of it with you.

We also enjoyed eating out and so happy that Dashi now has a brick and mortar restaurant. We went to their opening last night and what a transformation of that space--I used to drive by it (on the corner of Remount and Murray) every day when the kids were going to Divine Redeemer Catholic School. It's clean, bright and cheerful, and the expanded menu exceptional, the service courteous. I had their duck ramen and all the flavors blended so well, from the soup stock to the kimchi. I think it's the first place Max will want to go when he comes home from DC. Soon, soon. I love seeing creative people succeed doing what they love. God bless you and all the different works of your hands.

  

 

One Year Book Birthday Sale

I published BOUND one year ago! What a journey it's been--exhilarating at times, equally frustrating at other times. I've learned so many things and still have so much more to learn. Thanks to all my early readers and supporters (you know who you are) who read the book and shared it with friends and corrected my typos. Thanks to all who reviewed Bound. Thanks to the numerous interviews and discussions. I am so blessed to have this writing life. To celebrate, I'm holding a sale: 99 cents for all e-book platforms and $10.99 for the paperback from July 2nd-7th. Luckily, this anniversary coincides with the annual National Right to Life Conference and it's held in Charleston this year (July 5-6). Perhaps I'll see you there!!! Please share!!! 

BOUND

What joy to see BOUND on the shelves of my library!!! Of course, I'd be even happier if it were checked out. My friends, spread the word. I have prayed that BOUND may find its way into the hands of young women and men, and parents of special needs children, and especially those who really need to read it, who will be transformed by it. I am no marketeer, but a simple writer. Please help me. Ask for it at your library because self-published books will hardly ever get on the radar of librarians. Recommend it for your classroom (13+) or book club. Invite me to come speak with you about it. If you loved it, share it with a friend, write a review. And my heartfelt thanks to all who've done so much to promote it already. It's been nearly a year since I published it and although I told myself I would learn to market, it is a painfully slow process. I did a few experiments in advertising but I don't know what I'm doing. And I confess that I would rather write new stories that are roiling in my head.

I feel an urgency about getting BOUND in as many hands as possible because it is unabashedly pro-life. And we need the ordinary people to stand up for these most vulnerable amongst us--the babies. I've been so thankful to see many states passing "heartbeat" laws to protect babies and their mothers from the horrors of abortion. But other states, Democrat-led, are enshrining abortion as a fundamental right and go as far as to advocate infanticide. However, most people oppose abortion during the last three months of pregnancy when the baby can live outside the mother's womb. I find it strange that people try to make exceptions for rape or incest. Abortion punishes the baby, not the rapist. Of course, it's a great burden upon the woman to conceive a child in this way and carry it to term. Ryan Bomberger has written a very cogent argument for preserving life in all cases: I am the 1% used to defend 100% of abortions.


This is why I wrote BOUND. I took one of the worst-case scenarios and made a case for the dignity of the human person because each of us is fearfully and wonderfully made. We each have a unique role to play. 

Consider that 71 million baby girls have been aborted in China and India since the 1980s simply because they are girls. These missing girls are now missing women, women who would be wives, mothers, teachers, doctors, artists, etc. The men are already feeling this loss. In the US alone, we are missing over 61 million children since Roe v Wade (1973), some of whom would be middle-aged by now. These are our brothers and sisters, our aunts and uncles, our friends. And the carnage continues at the rate of about one every 30 seconds. Worldwide it is a staggering 1.5 billion. I know this is too big a number to comprehend, like numbering the stars, but every one is utterly unique and irreplaceable. This is a huge loss of life--it is unjust, like slavery, like the Jewish holocaust. We must end it.   

This is the season of Pentecost! Come Holy Spirit and enkindle in us the Fire of Thy Love. Send forth Thy Spirit and renew the face of the earth. Listen to this beautiful Gregorian Chant: Veni Creator Spiritus!